Hot/moist packs, also known as hydrocollator packs, have been used in the treatment of muscular and joint problems for many years, and the benefits of either dry or moist heat in the treatment of such problems has been known for quite some time. In the past, such hot packs were encased entirely in towels with no other exterior protective cover. Generally the packs tend to cool in a relatively short time due to evaporation through the towels and other effects, which requires their reheating and rehumidifying for continued treatment. In any case, those towels become soiled from contact with a patient's body or by the hot pad chemicals. They also become wet as they absorb the water from the hot pad. These factors then require the towels to be laundered after use on each individual patient as they could become mixed with and/or contaminate other towels.
In response, heating pad covers were developed in order to eliminate the use of so many towels to cover the hot pads. However, these earlier covers are generally formed of a terry cloth type material, and tend to absorb the humidity and contaminates from either the patient the pad, and/or from any treatment placed on the patients themselves, and/or the Gels which seep from the hot pads. No disclosure is made in present patents of the means to prevent contamination of the covers as they absorb the water and seeping gel from the hot pads that gets captured between the different layers of the cover. The terry cloth material of the present covers has no other means of cleaning than frequent laundering to prevent contamination and foul smell, unlike the present invention. In addition, neither the pads nor covers currently known to be in use in the field provide specific shapes for the treatment of specific areas of the body, and none are formed of a non-absorbent, moisture repellent material that protects them from contamination from the pad material (seeping gel), patient factors, and from heat and water retention. Due to the moisture absorbency of such terry cloth cover material, the heat of a moist hot pack dissipates relatively rapidly due to evaporation, which requires more frequent heating of the pack(s).
The need arises for therapeutic heating pads and covers therefor which are capable of completely containing the pads therein, which covers are formed of a non-absorbent and moisture repellent material in order to provide for ease of cleanup of the pad covers and for heat and water retention of a pad contained therein. The pads and covers must be formed in specific shapes and sizes in order to conform properly to areas of the body commonly requiring such treatment, and the covers must further include specific fastening or attachment means providing for securing to such specific areas of the body.